We thought that newer arrivals to Palm Coast would like to read about Palm Coast beginnings .
This is from own our personal copy given to us by Dr. J. Norman Young, first president of I.T.T. Levitt. Dr. J. Norman Young would often join us Palm Coast Pioneers and early purchasers at our public with membership 'Palm Coast Beach Club' later known as Palm Coasts' Sun Sport Beach Club Oceanside, a dedication to 'Palm Coast'. Dr. J. often would have handouts and tell of information; after all...it was his *concept* and pet project.
As you will read we were offered as a 'Total Unique Environmental Community' , the starting of a 'New City' for 750,000 population at full build out. Remember this was also before water saving toilets / washing machines / low flow irrigation / and low flow shower heads, and before we because 'Energy minded'. Shortly after Palm Coast, Inc. opening the Arab oil embargo hit...so the patio doors, window sizes , etc., of the ITT models were reduced in size. That's why initially you see 8 foot patio doors and massive windows initially offered..
...

THE BASIC LAWS OF HUMAN STUPIDITY
Published in 1976 by an Italian economist. Professor Carlo M Cipolla
The first basic law of human stupidity asserts without ambiguity that:
Always and inevitably everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.
At first, the statement sounds trivial, vague and horribly ungenerous. Closer scrutiny will however reveal its realistic veracity. No matter how high are one's estimates of human stupidity, one is repeatedly and recurrently startled by the fact that:

People whom one had once judged rational and intelligent turn out to be unashamedly stupid.

Day after day, with unceasing monotony, one is harassed in one's activities by stupid individuals who appear suddenly and unexpectedly in the most inconvenient places and at the most improbable moments.

The First Basic Law prevents me from attributing a specific numerical value to the fraction of stupid people within the total population: any numerical estimate would turn out to be an underestimate. Thus in the following pages I will denote the fraction of stupid people within a population by the symbol σ.
...

It blows my mind how blindly people accept that certain things "have to" be done to the body of their loved one.
Think about that for a second: this is the last tangible remnant of someone you loved and you are now going to pay stranger thousands (oftentimes HUNDREDS of thousands) of dollars to (warning: graphic from here on out) systematically mutilate that body.
...

There is NO plant that has plumb sides. And when we try to make them so. We are making an irreversible mistake that will end up leaving the bottom part of the shrub bare. (fig D4)

If you want a formal style hedge that is square with the ground then you must compromise a little and be sure that the lower portion comes out further than the top about at least a 15 degree angle depending on the sun exposure (Fig D1&2)

(if the side of the shrub has a southern exposure with little or no shading than you may be able to keep a near 90 degree angle but if the exposure is to the north you need at least a 23 degree angle to allow sun to get to the lower branches.) Formal hedges have their place in a formal garden but even at Versailles the greatest Garden in the world. I noticed that the formal plants were pruned into shapes that followed their natural form and there were many areas of the gardens that were quite soft and natural.
...

I heard about the Washington Oaks Gardens State Park plant sale that is held the second Saturday of every month by the Friends of Washington Oaks, so we decided to make a day of it. The variety of plants was outstanding. Visitors will find Florida Natives including duranta, crinum lily, coral bean, fire bush and prickly pear. From Cactus to Stag-horns there is something for everyone. The park is amazing and the best part is, the proceeds go to benefit the park facilities.
Whether you're looking for a short trip to enjoy the flowers that the park has to view or if you're trying for some table fare from the intracoastal waterway the park has something to offer for everyone. With a large playground for the kids and picnic tables with grills, you can easily stay all day and take advantage of all the park has to offer.
We made a day of it and from start to finish it was a WONDERFUL time.
...

Tonight we heard Some Alternatives for the proposed widening of Old kings Road From Farragut north including a bypass around Matanzas High school .The Project proposed two plans both would include ten to twelve foot multi use sidewalks on either side However several routes were proposed north of Forrest Grove with varying financial and environmental impact.
However no studies of a smaller scale two or three lane bypass were made.

Resident's questions about Noise and crime from extra traffic generated by this accelerated access were not answered. Residents on Forrest grove Expressed fear for safety because of the present speed of traffic.
Remediation for the trees lost along Old kings from Fleetwood to Frontier During the water line installation for the conservatory and Hammock dunes golf course a few years back are not being addressed at this time. The choices seem to be,what side are we going to put the retention ponds.
No landscaping or noise buffers were illustrated to be a part of the planning process.
...

Julia Child first gave me the Idea to use a torch in the Kitchen but that was in the days when it was propane and a manual striker to light the torch. With a Instant ignite and the heat of Mapp gas we can really make some processes in the kitchen better faster and more fun.
Back in the day we used to dip our fruit into boiling water and then quickly into ice water to avoid cooking it The Idea came natural after roasting some peppers. and watching how water on the surface of the skin prevents burns in a myth-busters were they dip there hands into molten lead. I have used this method to peel all sorts of fruit by using such intense heat that only the surface charred as the water just under the surface Expands rapidly blowing the skin away from the fruit and creating an insulated layer that leaves a perfectly crisp fresh uncooked fruit.
...

The Dixie Highway-Hastings, Espanola and Bunnell Road (also known as County Road 13 or the Old Brick Road) is a historic section of Old Dixie Highway in Florida, United States. It is located roughly between Espanola (in Flagler County) and CR 204 southeast of Hastings near Flagler Estates (in St. Johns County). This is one of the few extant portions of the original brick Dixie Highway left in Florida. On April 20, 2005, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

This road was built about 1766 when Colonel James Grant was governor of British East Florida. It extended from St. Augustine to Cowford (Jacksonville) and north to Colorain, Ga., across the St. Marys River. Later the road was extended south along the Matanzas River. Aided in part by donations from Grant's friends in South Carolina and Georgia, the road's chief financial backing came from local subscribers. It became a major artery of travel.
...

If you haven't been on the Lehigh Greenway Rail Trail yet, then lace up your walking shoes, strap on those roller blades, check the pressure in your bike tires and get ready for one of the best trails in Flagler County.
This is a nice quiet trail located in Flagler County on approximately 3.8 miles of abandoned railroad corridor, comprising 194.95 acres that follows one of the major canals in Palm Coast into the Graham Swamp Conservation Area.Trees surround the trail virtually the entire distance.

The eastern end of the trail begins on Colbert Lane immediately west of the old Lehigh Portland Cement Company. Parking is road side only here.
The trail starts with a very nice wooden bridge and continues west for about a hundred yards through the Graham Swamp Conservation Area then continues on in the old railroad bed.
...

This beautiful 1,500-acre preserve situated in the northern part of Flagler County was purchased by Henry Cutting in 1886 and passed on to his widow Angela Mills Cutting Worden, who eventually married Boris Scherbatoff, an exiled Russian prince. Angela assumed the title of princess and it was then that the once named "Cherokee Grove" came to be known as "Princess Place.

The original lodge built by Henry Cutting stills stands as Flagler County's oldest intact structure. Also on-site is Florida's very first in-ground swimming pool.
...

I made this for the first time tonight and it was incredible. I think it needs some tweaking but it's a great base for a healthy side dish.

For those of you unaware, Kale is considered one of the miracle foods. It fights fat, is high in antioxidants, high in vitamins and fiber. It is known as standing out nutritionally head and shoulders over most other recipes. I wanted to find some creative ways to slip it into some of our meals.

The cost of smoking has grown redicules, beyond that the additives make it more poisionous than it needs be.
My Pipe tobacco supplier has been Walgreens but the cost has just quadrupled and it has left me to researching either growing my own or buying whole leaf which I am looking into at www.leafonly.com .
Having set up a large Hydroponic system I am considering actually growing it.
There is no Fedral tax on leaf tobacco

Many homeowners wish to grow a few plants of tobacco in their yard or garden for ornamental purposes or for personal use. Tobacco plants are usually no more difficult to grow than many other garden plants, but it is difficult to cure, age, and
...

Plautus once wrote, "Nothing but Heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend."

The truth of the matter is that we all go through life with people with whom we share friendships, but when we need genuine friends, they are scarce. The sad truth is that, when you reach the end of this journey called "life", you will very likely look back and count on one hand the number of true friends you had during this journey.
...

Who would have thought that little jar in your kitchen Cabinet would have held the key to such dramatic historical consequences. Mainly because of the plauge and greed.
In low doses, nutmeg produces no noticeable physiological or neurological response, but in large enough doses nutmeg is a hallucinogen, thanks to a psychoactive chemical called myristicin,a monoamine oxidase inhibitor and psychoactive substance which is related to mescaline and amphetamine.

People have known about the interesting effects of nutmeg for centuries; the 12th century abbess Hildegard of Bingen wrote about it, for one.
...

There are many winter celebrations that antedate our placement of Christmas on December 25.
Many outside traditions are often adopted by neighboring or invading cultures. Some historians will often assert that many traditions are directly derived from previous ones rooting all the way back to those begun in the cradle of civilization or beyond, much in a way that correlates to speculations on the origins of languages.

Even in modern cultures these gatherings are still valued for emotional comfort, having something to look forward to at the darkest time of the year. This is especially the case for populations in the near polar regions of the hemisphere. The depressive psychological effects of winter on individuals and societies are experienced as coldness, tiredness, malaise, and inactivity. This is known as seasonal affective disorder. Insufficient sunlight in the short winter days increases the secretion of melatonin in the body, throwing off the circadian rhythm with longer sleep. Exercise, light therapy, increased negative ion exposure (which can
...

I am Proud to present the process I followed to create a fine batch of greens for the Blues at the Museum Event at the Ag Museum.
Cooking greens for 50 people is not a simple task However I love a challenge .

If you grew up in the south or southwestern parts of this country, then you can relate. I grew up with this belief, but did not know the real reason.

My mother always served black eyed peas on New Year's Day, and she said it would bring good luck in the New Year. I've carried this tradition forward, but never knew the reason behind it. It became a way of remembrance of my mother and grandmother.

Black Eyed Peas By Ron Perrin, Fort Worth Texas "The Real Story," is much more interesting and has gone untold in fear that feelings would be hurt.
It’s a story of war, the most brutal and bloody war in US history. Military might and power pushed upon civilians, women, children and elderly. Never seen as a war crime, this was the policy of the greatest nation on earth trying to maintain that status at all costs.

An unhealed wound remains in the hearts of some people of the southern states even today; on the other hand, the policy of slavery has been an open wound that has also been slow to heal but is okay to talk about.
...

Nestor Abreu was 14 years old in 1973 when he went to work part-time at a meat packing plant in Hialeah, a blue-collar suburb of Miami, in order to earn money for college. He&#39;s been working ever...

The new development, called American Village, spreads along Pritchard Drive, its apartments and single-family homes intermingling in a gated community restricted to people 55 and over. The Palm Coast...